It's mela at sea with arrival of warships

It's mela at sea with arrival of warships
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

FEBRUARY 14: Mumbai harbour, this afternoon, virtually became a `mela at sea' with the arrival of 14 more foreign warships to add to the six which had already arrived yesterday to participate in the International Fleet Review 2001.

Five warships will arrive tomorrow to complete the majestic sight of a total of 25 foreign ships adding to the 45 Indian ships dotting the waterfront.

The Mumbai sky too reverberated with the thundering sound of various aircraft which went through their motions during the first Flypast Rehearsal off Marine Drive. The rehearsal ended with trails of the tri colour sprayed by the aerobatic team --Suryakirans.

For the officers and sailors of the Indian Navy it was a unique opportunity. They were seen visiting foreign ships in droves as the ferry boats criss-crossed passed the armada of 70-odd warships positioned off the Mumbai harbour. Some displayed a wide array of weapons systems.

Sailors exchanged information on the ship's gunnery and other weaponry onboard the Japanese vessel JDS Amagiri. Some crew members also shared their experiences at sea with their foreign counterparts.

``This is a great opportunity to share their personal experiences and familarise themselves with foreign warships visiting the city,''remarked Commander Arun Mangutkar.

More than 50 ferry boats have been hired by the navy to transport sailors from one ship to the other anchored off the Mumbai harbour. Two special jetties have been built to facilitate the landing and casting off of the boats carrying visiting parties.

The ships which have arrived today are HMAS Darwin (Australia), IRIS Alvand (Iran), BNS Ali Haider (Bangladesh), USS Cowpens (USA), µJDS Amagiri (Japan), J D Jebat and Laksamana Tan Pusmah (Malaysia).

The others are ORP Wodnik (Poland),HMS Cumberland, HTMS Bang Pakong (Thailand), RSS Endurance (Singapore), SLNS Sayura (Sri Lanka), FNS Dupleix andPerle (France), Drakensberg (South Africa) and Admiral Vinogradov and Panteleev from Russia.

Not all the ships are here to display their military might, JDS Amagiri and Drakensberg have arrived with some relief materials for the quake victims in Gujarat.

According to JDS Amagiri's captain Kenji Matsubara, the ship immediately sailed with 1000 blankets and 25,000 food packets for the quake affected victims of Gujarat. Sailors attached to Japan Maritime Self Defense Force also contributed around Rs 20 lakh for relief work, said Matsubara.

The press was today taken aboard the guided missile frigate from Australia, HMAS Darwin. HMAS stands for Her Majesty's Australian Ship.

The 16-year-old vessel has a displacement of 4100 tonnes and can keep two helicopters (S 70-B2) for anti-submarine warfare. She is commanded by Commander Trevor Jones.The dress rehearsal for the International City Parade is being held tomorrow between 6 and 8 am. Mumbaiites can also get a preview of the majestic air display at Marine Drive tomorrow morning, when over 80 fighter planes and helicopters of the Indian Navy, Air Force and Coast Guards will do another dress rehearsal.

In addition, the naval band will perform at Band Stand and Joggers' Park at Bandra and Hanging Gardens and Horniman Circle between 7 and 8.30 pm.

The actual event of the Fleet Review by President K R Narayanan will take place on Sunday from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm